Inspection day for St Cyrus travellers’ site

An inspection of a travellers’ site in St Cyrus is set to be carried out by the Scottish Government today.

A reporter is expected be at North Esk Park today (Thursday, December 8), with all parties involved invited to attend.

The site was built near St Cyrus nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in September 2013 without planning permission.

The owners applied for retrospective permission.

At a full Aberdeenshire Council meeting in April elected members granted permission for an official halting and touring site.

Councillors voted 41-24 in favour of the site, which was built in September 2013. There was one no vote.

The main reason the planning permission was approved was due to the lack of other halting sites for travellers in Kincardine and Mearns.

It was subject conditions, including the site having compensatory water storage, the provision of a flood emergency plan, the removal of a bund, landscaping to improve amenity of neighbours and that there be no development within the SSSI boundary.

The application was subsequently called in by Scottish Ministers as, prior to the meeting, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) concluded the site was on a flood plain.

Rob Huntley has been appointed the case.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The purpose of the site inspection is to inform the reporter of the physical aspects of the site and discussion on the merits of the case will not be allowed.

“Following the site visit the reporter will prepare a report with recommendations to Scottish Ministers, who will make the final decision in these cases.”